It stood out how specific and physical the sock and shoelace habit actually is - and its relatable too. It also made the whole piece feel natural from the start - I also liked the shift from embarrassment to understanding; the idea that the body recognises pressure before the mind catches up. The sections about professional environments rewarding composure added depth because it connected a personal quirk to something mch wider. The ending I found comforting - by you not trying to “fix” the habit - you reframed it as useful information rather tnan something negative or a failure.
Love this essay, Ash. What a quirky but noticeable - and therefore effective - habit to have, and to be able to use as a marker!
You're so right about highlighting what's rewarded and almost expected societally and professionally - emotional control and stoicism (not in the philosophical sense). Ignore the signs at your peril!
Through my own nervous system training and practice - particularly in relational dojo environments (that I've done basically every week for the past 6), I've been able to hone my own interoceptive capabilities and now have much more in the way of signals that I'm stressed, that I'm now aware of and able to respond to. For me there are obvious ones like a tightening of my chest, raising of my shoulders, and shallowing of my breath ... But I now also know that if my pitch goes up or my pace of speech increases I'm generally slightly activated. That's a cue for to slow down (or pause), take a deeper and Ionger breath, and get back into my body. Even that is enough to regulate me, and doing so gives me an opportunity to investigate what's going on internally and figure out what the genesis was
Thanks so much for your insights Bryn. I did question whether I wanted to put that one out into the universe, but hey what the heck. People notice it anyway. It's a solid cue and works for me. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
I love the idea that the habit itself isn’t the problem, it’s the signal. For me, one of the earliest signs of stress is that I become less responsive to texts and start pulling away from people. I used to judge myself for it, but I’ve started viewing it as information instead. My nervous system is often aware that I’m overwhelmed long before my conscious mind catches up. This was a great reminder to pay attention to the whispers before they become alarms.
It stood out how specific and physical the sock and shoelace habit actually is - and its relatable too. It also made the whole piece feel natural from the start - I also liked the shift from embarrassment to understanding; the idea that the body recognises pressure before the mind catches up. The sections about professional environments rewarding composure added depth because it connected a personal quirk to something mch wider. The ending I found comforting - by you not trying to “fix” the habit - you reframed it as useful information rather tnan something negative or a failure.
Thanks so much for reading and sharing. Yes, it is very Specific, but now I understand it, I am more than okay with it
Love this essay, Ash. What a quirky but noticeable - and therefore effective - habit to have, and to be able to use as a marker!
You're so right about highlighting what's rewarded and almost expected societally and professionally - emotional control and stoicism (not in the philosophical sense). Ignore the signs at your peril!
Through my own nervous system training and practice - particularly in relational dojo environments (that I've done basically every week for the past 6), I've been able to hone my own interoceptive capabilities and now have much more in the way of signals that I'm stressed, that I'm now aware of and able to respond to. For me there are obvious ones like a tightening of my chest, raising of my shoulders, and shallowing of my breath ... But I now also know that if my pitch goes up or my pace of speech increases I'm generally slightly activated. That's a cue for to slow down (or pause), take a deeper and Ionger breath, and get back into my body. Even that is enough to regulate me, and doing so gives me an opportunity to investigate what's going on internally and figure out what the genesis was
Thanks so much for your insights Bryn. I did question whether I wanted to put that one out into the universe, but hey what the heck. People notice it anyway. It's a solid cue and works for me. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
I love the idea that the habit itself isn’t the problem, it’s the signal. For me, one of the earliest signs of stress is that I become less responsive to texts and start pulling away from people. I used to judge myself for it, but I’ve started viewing it as information instead. My nervous system is often aware that I’m overwhelmed long before my conscious mind catches up. This was a great reminder to pay attention to the whispers before they become alarms.